The White House on Monday denied suggestions that an expected Justice Department indictment against Sen. Bob Menendez is political retribution for the senator’s harsh criticism of the administration’s negotiations with Iran to scale back its nuclear program.
Over the weekend, Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, strongly suggested that Justice is preparing corruption charges against Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat and the ranking member of the Foreign Relations committee, for breaking with the president on the talks with Iran.
“The coincidence is troubling,” Cruz told CNN, “that that very week is when the Justice Department announces they’re moving forward with criminal prosecutions. It raises a suggestion to other Democrats that if you dare part from the Obama White House, a criminal prosecution can be used potentially for political retribution.”
The Justice Department has yet to indict Menendez despite a flurry of reports last week saying formal public corruption charges are coming soon. The Justice Department has spent years investigating the senator’s relationship with a major donor.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said he had seen the reports of the impending Justice Department indictment but noted that DOJ has not confirmed them.
“We don’t know whether or not they’re true,” he said. “I’m not going to comment on them for that reason.”
“The other reason I’m loathe to comment on this is that there is a principle this administration takes very seriously [and that is] ensuring that prosecutions are kept separate and apart from political interference or even the appearance of political interference,” he said. “That undermines the claims of a lot of people, including apparently Sen. Cruz.”
